Bike Reviews

As the middle kid in Orbea's carbon road line, the Opal always suffered from an identity crisis. No more. The fully redesigned 2009 Opal has a purpose so uniquely American it's only being sold in this country. "The Opal is a bike for American-style racing," says Orbea USA general manager Tony Karklins.

The Opal is built for big, powerful sprinters on the rough-and-tumble, criterium-heavy U.S. circuit; Team Type 1 will ride the bike this year. The Opal uses slightly different carbon (primarily for cost savings) than the top-shelf Orca, and the aluminum dropouts, not just the derailleur hanger, are completely replaceableso if you crash and tweak a drop, the frame's not toast. But the Opal is still an Orbea.

The bike shares a principal design feature with Orbea's other carbon bikes called Size Specific Nerve. SSN is essentially a raised rib molded into the monocoque frame, starting at about the middle of the top tube, running through the head tube and down to the bottom bracket. Many frames use these kinds of stiffening ribs, but the size of the SSN rib, the size and shape of the tube, and even the layup change with the bike's dimensions. "The idea is that the 48cm Opal rides the same as the 61cm version," Karklins says. SSN means small riders don't get beat up and big ones won't twist the frame when they uncork a sprint.

To call a frame "crit style" typically implies a board-stiff ride. But the Opal feels exceptionally comfortable even with deep-section Reynolds Assault wheels. Because it shares the Orca's geometry, the handling is impeccable. It's also plenty stiff, and while the Orca is lighter, the difference isn't dramaticabout 90 grams in a size 51, says Karklins, and our tester still came within a third of a pound of the UCI-mandated lower weight limit. In the Opal, American racers and enthusiasts finally have a model to call their own.Joe Lindsey

BUY IT: If you want a hardworking, no-frills racerFORGET IT: If you fear traditional standards will look dated in a year